Atiyyah Ellison takes new job in stride

Part of a journey, man

Credit: Matthew West

LOOK AT THE NEW GUY: Newly signed defensive lineman Atiyyah Ellison, now with his seventh NFL team, speaks to the media yesterday at Gillette Stadium.

FOXBORO — Atiyyah Ellison has friends everywhere in the NFL for the worst of reasons: He’s been everywhere in the NFL.

That has given the Patriots’ newest addition a realist’s perspective on what life holds for a guy traveling the road he’s walked. Yesterday Ellison, during his third day with the Pats, mentioned he has a friend playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. Someone asked if he was excited about the possibility of facing that friend in the playoffs.

“Let’s make it through this practice,” the 29-year-old defensive lineman said, half joking.

We think.

That’s how you look at football life after being a third-round draft choice in 2005, being signed or released 21 times, having a seat in seven different NFL locker rooms for anywhere from four days to a full season, and starting fewer games (six) than you’ve had employers (seven).

At this point,

you know anything can happen at any time. Anything except what happened Sunday as Ellison was ironing his sons’ clothes and getting them ready for church.

“My agent called and said the Patriots wanted to work me out,” Ellison recalled, incredulity still in his voice. “He usually called about workouts, but I never even knew the Patriots were in the picture.”

They might not have been had Ron Brace not been forced to injured reserve and Brandon Deaderick not been late one time too many, ending up on the suspended list. With two Pats roster spots open for the playoffs and a clear need to fill at least one with a 3-4 defensive lineman, Ellison’s phone rang.

Sixty-nine days since he last was on an NFL roster and one year since he last played in a real game, he was hired by the top-seeded team in the playoffs.

Even if you’ve seen it all, as Ellison has, it was an unexpected start to the new year.

As the season (went) on it got hard,” Ellison admitted. “I really haven’t played football since training camp. I started sending out resumes for teaching jobs and got one letter back.

“I heard a guy rejected an offer (to join the Jets practice squad) because he had a career started, but this is my dream job and there’s a small difference in pay (from a teacher’s salary). You have to go for the dream job, even if it’s maybe not for long. I still have my dream, but this part doesn’t really make it on ‘SportsCenter.’Ã¢â‚¬â€°”

Packing a hard-earned dose of NFL realism in his bag, Ellison headed east from his home in Boonville, Mo., where he’d been scheduled to coach his 5-year-old son’s first YMCA basketball game and celebrate his wife’s birthday this week. He arrived with two sets of clothes, one pair of cleats and a faded dream that dies hard.

“All the workouts I’ve done, only twice I’ve been kept (overnight),” Ellison said. “(The Pats) kept me overnight but didn’t tell me anything. I had no expectations. The next morning I ended up signing. To tell you the truth, I’d have done it for free.

“It’s like a dream. It’s like I’m in a fog. I got lost coming here from the hotel. It’s cool to be in the locker room with some of these guys. There are a lot of champions here.”

One of them was among the first to introduce himself to Ellison when he spied a new face in the weight room. The veteran had no idea who the new guy was, but the new guy knew who he was.

“I saw him in the weight room and introduced myself,” Tom Brady said. “You don’t have time to sit down and have lunch with him, but as a veteran, you’re empathetic to his situation.

“He’s got the same dream as all of us. He’s looking for a home. He wants to fit in. I don’t think coach (Bill) Belichick would bring him in if he didn’t feel he could help us. As soon as you put that color jersey on, you’re expected to contribute to the team.

“I still remember how he feels. I was under the radar screen (as a sixth-round pick in 2000). Nobody knows what to expect, but it can be a good position. You can get your work in and watch and learn without anyone bothering you and see what happens.”

That is how Ellison is looking at his good fortune. Well-versed in the vagaries of the 3-4 defense, he’s here to do what he can to get on someone’s radar screen, and he knows the best way to do it.

“I’ve been through this before,’’ Ellison said. “I’m here to keep my mouth shut and learn. I really don’t have any answers why things haven’t turned out different. Maybe I’m not as good as I hope to be or maybe it’s just that I haven’t gotten an opportunity. It doesn’t matter. It’s me who has to do something to change that.’’